I just took the old seals out, new ones from Mikes XS are not identical. I ordered OEM from Mikes and this is what came. Are these useable? Thickness of original is 9mm, new one is 6mm thick with a tapered lip that makes it about7mm

.....and i didn't take note which way up for the seal and the spacer below it

Quote:

Originally Posted by mschor

I just took the old seals out, new ones from Mikes XS are not identical. I ordered OEM from Mikes and this is what came. Are these useable? Thickness of original is 9mm, new one is 6mm thick with a tapered lip that makes it about7mm

I'm wondering if that couple millimeters between the top of the seal & the c clip will be a big deal. Anybody know the thickness of the factory seals? Maybe mine swelled over 30 yrs & the Mikes XS ones are actually right?

The correct size for the Special is 37X48X10.5
If the ones you have are the correct ID and OD but just too short, they should still work. I usually make a spacer out of PVC pipe to take up any gap between the seal and the C-clip.

Ok, i went ahead and did it , they were super hard to drive in , i used 1 1/2" pvc ground down slightly. I didn't use a spacer, there wasn't much space there maybe because i just drove them down to just below the c clip slot. I didn't want to damage them going too far. Put it all back together and it feels the same!.....as you say pluuuussshhhh.
I used 15W oil but i didn't cut the springs or anything. Actually threading the caps on was very easy because the springs were only about 1/2" past the end of the tube. I didn't measure the spring length but maybe they're a little worn in. Boiling the old seals in the lowers made it a cinch to pull them out

mschor, Just get about 15" of a soft steel rod, bend a 90 at one end and mark 10mm notches down from the top. As jetmechmarty said,"Try setting the oil level at 130 mm from the top with the spring removed and the fork collapsed. Thatís the Race Tech spec. Adjust 10 mm up or down from there."
This will help some, but the PVC spacer will also help with the sagged springs. Just remember these are 40 year old bikes, with 40 year old suspension technology. It will take work and money to get them close to the newer bikes!

Thanks for the suggestions! It's true i haven't refilled with air yet, i will do that first...15psi i think? Then if it's still very soft I'll do the 130ml & spacer.
On another note, the front axle was very tough to get out and had some rust on it. I'll attach a picture. Is this a big deal? I sanded off the rust and put some lithium grease but i noticed at parking lot speed cornering a little rub on both sides, something feels not 100%. I'm going to remove and look at it again. Brakes aren't rubbing much. There was a washer that dropped as i was removing the axle. I put it between the axle nut and the fork because it was only big enough to fit over the threads, it was smaller than the rest of the axle.